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Immigration Justice Working Group Forming

May 3, 2019

Maureen Lanan, Friends Meeting at Cambridge MA)

Friends who care about justice for immigrants in their communities are invited to join the Immigration Justice Working Group (IJWG). An initial group of Friends is working on discerning the purposes for the relatively new Working Group. The evolving list of purposes includes: (1) communicating across meetings to learn from each other’s work at the local and state levels, (2) accumulating successful strategies for fostering immigration justice and (3) helping meetings learn more about their immediate immigrant communities and how to engage more fully. We are also aware that Friends who are deeply engaged may find themselves the lone Quaker in interfaith or secular projects and would welcome spiritual support from other Friends in New England.

The IJWG arose from Minute 2017-42 in which the Yearly Meeting “reaffirm[ed] our unconditional support for the wellbeing and protections of all threatened individuals in our community, including, especially at this troubled time, Muslims and undocumented immigrants.” At 2018 Sessions, the body approved forming a working group under the care of NEYM (Minute 2018-39) and asked Mary Hopkins and Judy Goldberger, Friends who have long been engaged with immigration justice, to help launch the group. They put out an invitation in 2018 for others to join with them from around New England. To learn more, contact either Mary or Judy. The Immigration Justice Network Google Group is a place where New England Friends can share information, queries, and resources and make connections.